Sources: Baker Mayfield to Play Out Deal With Bucs, Become Free Agent
With no real progress in months of talks, Mayfield reports to camp on the final year of his contract and will hit the open market in 2027 rather than sign an extension now.
Baker Mayfield is reporting to Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp without a new contract and will play out the final year of his deal before becoming an unrestricted free agent, according to sources. Mayfield and the Bucs have been in talks for months, but sources say no real progress had been made toward an extension.
What was Mayfield looking for?
Sources say Mayfield wants a deal that reflects his on-field performance and puts him more in line with quarterbacks of similar caliber. He currently ranks 16th among quarterbacks in average annual pay at $33.33 million, a number he and his camp view as below-market given his production.
What changes for this season?
Mayfield will carry a $39.975 million cap number in 2026, the final year of his current deal. He had previously said he wanted an agreement in place before camp started or he would set talks aside to focus on football, and that appears to be exactly what has happened.
What happens after the season?
Mayfield is reportedly unfazed by the possibility of being franchise-tagged in 2027 rather than hitting the open market outright. Either path would keep his long-term situation with Tampa Bay unresolved beyond this season, even as he leads a team he's already guided to the playoffs in 2023 and 2024.
Is there any new movement on a deal?
Some detail, but not resolution. The Bucs made Mayfield a formal offer, a two-year extension, but the sides couldn't reach agreement before his camp deadline, and Mayfield has said he felt disrespected by the offer and won't continue negotiating until after the season. General manager Jason Licht struck an optimistic tone regardless: "I'm very optimistic about it. He wants to play. He wants to prove to us that he is the franchise quarterback that we said that he was," Licht said, adding, "These things over time tend to work out."
Players in this story
Sources
- ESPN: Sources: No real progress, Mayfield-Buccaneers contract talks
- ESPN: Bucs GM Jason Licht 'optimistic' about re-signing Baker Mayfield
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